


You Know What They Say

by DragonflyonBreak



Series: The Eavesdroppers [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: BAMF Merlin (Merlin), Friendship, Gen, Gwaine Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Humor, It's a stressful day for him, Leon also finds out, Magic Revealed, Merlin is just casually taking care of business, Protecting Arthur, Protective Gwaine (Merlin), Threatening people, Treason, but before season 4, takes place sometime after Season 3, typical merlin stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:21:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26595151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonflyonBreak/pseuds/DragonflyonBreak
Summary: Nothing good ever comes from eavesdropping. Or, that one time Leon and Gwaine decided to commit treason.
Series: The Eavesdroppers [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2023198
Comments: 28
Kudos: 510





	You Know What They Say

As a general rule, it wasn’t polite to listen in on private conversations. It was highly discouraged in the upper classes. Ironic, given that everyone was always up in everyone else’s business, eager for gossip the way a man dying of thirst was eager for water.

Still. There was such a thing as tact. Propriety. _Manners_. Leon’s mother had taught him manners – and his father had taught him the importance of upholding the family name and of not bringing dishonor to his parents. Especially not for something stupid.

Like listening in on private conversations.

One didn’t become the first knight of Camelot by being stupid. He had accepted the rules, expectations, and virtues that came with knighthood and kept them proudly.

Leon didn’t eavesdrop.

Especially not in the Royal Wing of the castle. Definitely not there.

Except for today, apparently. Sir Gwaine was insisting.

It would be Gwaine who did this to him. Honestly, he shouldn’t have even been surprised. The man was incorrigible. Valiant and brave, yes. Fiercely loyal and a strength to Camelot’s army? Absolutely.

But completely incorrigible. Leon’s mother likely would have hit them both with a broom handle for this – hiding around a corner, waiting to jump out and scare a servant like _children_. God above, what had his life come to? It might have been worth it, except they didn’t even get the thrill of scaring him. Instead, they were forced into silence while Merlin boldly told off a visiting knight for being where he didn’t belong.

It was easy to think of Merlin as simply a servant. He was, for all intents and purposes – and really, beyond knowing that he and the prince regent were fiercely loyal friends, Leon didn’t need the details. Merlin was Merlin.

Loyal. Cheeky. Incompetent, perhaps. Simple-minded, some might say. Leon would disagree with that to some degree. If he were truly an idiot, Arthur would have lost interest years ago. He liked and kept Merlin around because Merlin was a challenge for him. It went farther then their verbal sparring, which was its own level of wit that Leon highly doubted anyone would or could ever match even if they tried. No… Merlin did far more for Arthur then likely anyone knew – including the prince regent. Of course, that was mostly between them. Even the newly named Round Table knights were only on the outside looking in to that particular relationship.

They only saw the in between stuff, glimpsing between cracks. Listening to quiet moments spent by a fire, witnessing a meaningful look here or there.

Small things.

Just enough to know that Merlin was _more_ but never actually seeing.

Which was why this was a fascinating opportunity. Inappropriate and rude, of course. Embarrassing, should other nobility or even palace guards find out that he – the first knight of Camelot - had spent time _eavesdropping_ on a servant in a hallway.

But. It had the potential to be worth it, even he had to admit. Gwaine might have convinced him to stay for the first few seconds but the exchange itself grabbed his immediate attention.

Merlin was no coward. That should have been obvious to him – to everyone, really – long before now. The man had drank poison to save the prince and frequently ran into danger with Camelot’s best knights, simply to stay by Arthur’s side. He'd never backed down from a fight before. Not even when that fight was a dragon.

Though for some reason, this exchange was driving the point home to Leon far better then anything else he’d previously done. Servants didn't do what Merlin did on a day to day basis - Leon doubted that half the things Merlin did for Arthur were even part of his job description. Not that he had any way of knowing for certain. He had better things to do with his time then to figure out all the particulars of their relationship. 

But servants definitely didn't do this. 

Merlin’s tone was cold. Guarded and mixed with an equal amount of suspicion and anger.

“You have no business in this part of the castle.”

There was a scoff from the knight – one of Alined’s, who’d come as part of an envoy bearing good tidings and well wishes to Arthur. King Uther was in no fit state to rule and the other kingdoms were feeling the prince regent out. Testing him and his capability to run the kingdom. 

It was a tense time – the changing of a monarchical power was not without struggle and that was without the added burden of recovering from Morgana’s attack and attempted usurping only a few weeks previous. It kept everyone busy. And it would be a good while before there was true peace in the city again, Leon thought.

“I was invited to see the prince regent.”

“The _hell_ you were.” Merlin said lowly. “This area is restricted and had His Majesty invited you to see him, I’d have been notified. Now as I said, you have no business here. Take whatever is in your hand and get out.”

There was the sound of scuffling feet and a muted thud.

Leon poked his head around the corner, because as much as he didn’t want to get caught eavesdropping, he drew a line at allowing Merlin to get beaten when it was in his power to stop it. Especially since there was a good chance _that_ would start a war quicker then an assassination attempt on Arthur would. 

The servant had indeed been shoved up against the stone wall, just outside Arthur’s private rooms. The knight – a tall, dark haired fellow with a squashed looking face – loomed over him. He tucked whatever object he'd been holding into his pocket and then blocked the way with his arm, pressing it against the wall while the other grabbed Merlin by the throat. He wasn’t squeezing but the threat was there.

Merlin didn’t even flinch. Just stared the knight down like this whole thing wasn't even worth his time. Say what you wanted about the man – but there nothing except cold confidence in his eyes. He wasn’t going to fold and if he was scared, it didn’t show. Not even a little. In fact, something about him was different then usual. Something in his posture screamed _dangerous_.

Powerful, even.

Leon’s throat felt dry. That was not a word he'd ever associated with the servant before - or any servant really. He glanced briefly at Gwaine, wondering if he sensed it too. His fellow knight must have, because while he was watching intensely, he was waiting. To see what would happen.

Leon was still getting to know his new friend but he knew him well enough to know that if Gwaine had felt Merlin wasn’t in control… he’d have already intervened.

“No one will believe you, you dirty peasant.” Alined’s knight warned, flexing his fingers slightly against the servants throat. “Tell anyone I was here, or what you saw, and you won’t survive the week.”

Leon took a moment to absorb the threat and everything that it implied, stunned and angry on behalf of the kingdom, the prince regent, and the unrest this potential attempt on Arthur’s life would cause to come between the two kingdoms. It wasn’t entirely unexpected but it would be a bitch of a situation to handle amidst the present uncertainty. Arthur _so_ did not need this right now –

“Take your hand off me.” Merlin warned softly, interrupting his racing thoughts.

“Or what?” The knight sneered. “You’ll go crying to the prince?”

Merlin paused, considering the words. “Take your hand off me or I’ll snap your worthless neck.” He amended with that same quiet, dangerous tone. “I’ve already asked you twice. You should consider that a favor.” He warned, eyes flashing gold.

_Gold._

Leon choked, barely having time to see the foreign knight’s eyes widen before Gwaine had a hand over his mouth and was dragging him away. They turned a corner, went down a hallway, and then another before Leon was able to pull free from his iron grip.

Gwaine held his hands up peacefully, though one lingered near the sword at his hip. His expression a mixture of shock and protectiveness. He was waiting – not speaking or anything. Just waiting. A far, far cry from the man who’d been eager to play a stupid prank just a few minutes ago.

This was the man who’d helped take back the citadel. The knight – the warrior that held Arthur's respect and trust.

“Did you know?” Leon forced out, realizing that his heart was pounding in his chest. Because, seriously – _what the hell?_ “About –“

“No.” Was the immediate response. “I didn’t. And I don’t give a damn either.” Gwaine warned and it took Leon a moment to realizing he was also blocking the way to Arthur’s rooms. To where Merlin still was.

“He’s a sorcerer –“

“Shh!” Gwaine hissed, eyes flashing and he immediately looked around to see if anyone was close by. Which there weren’t. Because polite people didn't linger in hallways like they were. “Keep your voice down!”

“We can’t keep this a secret!” Leon whispered back harshly.

“The hell we can’t and the hell we will!”

He sucked in a deep breath, scrubbing his face with his hands and unable to believe what was happening. Why the hell hadn’t he just walked away? There had been more than enough time to walk away. This was punishment for being roped into something stupid.

“Look.” Gwaine said before he could speak. The long haired knight licked his lips. “This isn’t a good time to be throwing out potentially false accusations about magic –“

“I saw the same thing you did!”

“Details, Leon.” Gwaine waved him off nervously. “But. And just hear me out – but what if we figure out whatever is going on with the pig-faced, pathetic excuse for a knight of Alined’s and stop _that_. It sounds like a potential assassination, right? Sketchy knight skulking near the prince's chambers? Classic. Last thing we need is a war on our hands. No one likes war, Leon. War is bad. So, let’s just… deal with that. Get that all sorted out and ignore everything else. Completely. Just pretend we didn’t see anything. Especially since we don’t know what we saw.”

Leon stared at him with disbelief. “I actually thought you were going somewhere with that.” He said slowly. He swallowed, trying to peer over Gwaine’s shoulders to see… something. Merlin. Or magic. Or something else completely illegal.

Gwaine stood higher on his tiptoes, blocking his view of absolutely nothing.

Damn him.

“We know what we saw, Gwaine.”

“Don’t you owe magic a debt or something? I thought it just saved your life. Aren’t knights supposed to repay debts?” The other man insisted and damn him twice because Leon _did_ owe a debt to the _druids_ but how could he repay that debt when it was treason against everything he’d sworn to uphold and protect?

And Merlin.

 _Merlin_.

Damn him too. He’d helped them save Camelot. He'd been the one to draw the prince out of his depression - who'd gotten him to do something. Leon _knew_ that the same way that he _knew_ the servant was unflinchingly loyal to Arthur. Arthur, who was relying on this servant-turned-friend to help him with everything. Arthur needed Merlin. Now more than ever. That was a fact. A terrible, unspoken but true nonetheless _fact_. He’d be devastated by an accusation of this nature. And another betrayal could rip the kingdom apart and they might never recover.

For the love of Camelot. He needed a drink.

“Alright,” Leon said slowly, having no clue what to do. “This is what we’re going to do –“.

“We’re going to commit treason together.”

“Oh my God.”

His mother, bless her soul, was right – nothing good came from eavesdropping.

_Ever._

**Author's Note:**

> I was literally just going to post a drabble. And then this popped out from the teeny little excerpt I’d written. Which consisted literally of Merlin’s interaction with the knight from Alined’s kingdom.  
> It was really just an excuse to write some badass!Merlin, which there is never enough of. Dude needs to be appreciated more. He deserves it.  
> Thoughts?


End file.
